GENEVA — A New York Times article Sunday about a Hobart and William Smith Colleges student’s experiences after reporting an alleged rape to campus authorities has prompted major attention on social media, statements from the colleges and president Mark Gearan critical of the piece, and an online petition calling for changes to the investigative process.The Sunday Times cover article, titled “Reporting rape, and wishing she hadn’t,” focuses on a HWS student named Anna, who two weeks into her freshman year reported being sexually assaulted at a fraternity party by football players. The article is critical of the colleges’ adjudication of the case — in which it notes the football players were cleared after a 12-day investigation — and claims that the panel members of the disciplinary hearing misrepresented evidence and interrupted her answers.The article by Walt Bogdanich says the case records “depict a school ill prepared to evaluate an allegation so serious that, if proved in a court of law, would be a felony, with a likely prison sentence.” It indicts school disciplinary panels in general as being “a world unto themselves” operating secretly, with little accountability, and “limited protections for the accuser or the accused.”

College responseThe article drew an official response Sunday from the colleges, as well as from president Mark Gearan.“This is a difficult article to read and for any student to be left with this perspective is disheartening,” Gearan stated in a message to the Hobart and William Smith community posted on the colleges’ website. “It is clear to me that even though we believe we handled the circumstances fairly and within the constraints of the law, and that we made decisions based on the evidence, there is no sense of satisfaction other than the knowledge that we treated everyone with compassion, kindness and respect.”Gearan’s message, and an official statement by the colleges, were both critical of Bogdanich’s article, saying it downplayed or ignored college administrators’ explanations of the colleges’ procedures — while noting that the colleges can’t comment on specific details of any student misconduct case under terms of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.“The Colleges disagree with the reporter’s interpretation of events and his portrayal of the Colleges, its students and its processes,” the statement reads in part. “The Colleges cooperated fully with the newspaper and its reporter. Senior members of the administration met twice with him to fully explain our procedures and corresponded with him on multiple occasions. These responses were largely ignored. The result is a story that unfairly portrays the Colleges and belittles the urgency and seriousness with which we address reported violations of our community standards.”The statement expressed concerns about the reporter’s acquisition of the hearing transcripts, saying they were quoted out of context and that “(the) Colleges did not share these transcripts with the reporter because to do so would violate the law.”The statement also notes that the colleges this summer are completing an audit of “our approach to sexual misconduct and community standards.” It says the colleges are establishing “a new Office of Title IX staffed by experts in this field including psychologists, an experienced Title IX legal adviser who will ensure that our hearing process is equitable and fair, and an expert in educational development, all advised by a senior member of the faculty.”In Gearan’s message, the president states, “The Colleges have no tolerance for sexual misconduct and are not reluctant to enforce our community standards and take action. In the past two years, the Colleges have adjudicated seven sexual misconduct cases resulting in four students being permanently separated from the Colleges.” Gearan wrote that within one hour of the case being reported to HWS, it was presented to the Geneva Police Department.In May, Hobart and William Smith was among 55 colleges and universities — including the likes of Dartmouth College and Princeton University — that the U.S. Department of Education stated were under Title IX investigation for allegedly mishandling sexual assault cases.Sunday’s Times article reports the allegations of sexual abuse both in the Kappa Sigma fraternity house and in a student hangout called The Barn, along with a characterization of the adjudication process. It is critical of the adjudication panel’s handling of the case, noting, for instance, that two of the three panel members did not examine the medical records showing blunt force trauma but asked Anna about what she had drunk, who she kissed and how she danced. It claims that the football players’ stories changed during the investigation, and is also critical of a Geneva police detective’s handling of the case.Anna’s first name and photographs are included in the article, which states that the colleges had disclosed her name in letters to students. The article notes that Anna underwent harassment in the wake of her allegations — but concludes with her determination to return to campus in the fall and “help survivors there.”According to Gearan, “In response to inquiries, HWS officials met with the Times reporter for two lengthy interviews and answered numerous questions via e-mail and phone, all in an effort to fully explain our approach and philosophy regarding sexual assault cases. Regrettably, these responses were either ignored or downplayed in the article. We sought to provide him with as much information as possible within the constraints placed upon us by law as well as the limits we felt best to protect the privacy and dignity of those involved.”

Community, national responseThe story received major attention on social media and elsewhere online Sunday. Local residents and media, as well as commentators from throughout the nation, highlighted the story and the school's response. Many said they believed this must start a serious conversation about colleges' responses to sexual assault complaints.A member of the elite literati offered her opinion via Twitter. Novelist Joyce Carol Oates tweeted to 102,000 followers: "Outrageous story of liberal arts college failure to deal with brutal gang rape of 18-yr-old freshman" and attached a link to the New York Times story.Oates, who has written about her own experience as a victim of sexual assault when she was in grade school, followed up her tweet with "Lawsuits against colleges & individual administrators may be the only way to assure just proceedings in the future."A group called Coalition of Concerned Students has posted a petition on the website Change.Org calling on college president Gearan and senior staff to take action in response to the New York Times story.The coalition, comprised of HWS students and alumni, implores administrators to take steps to make the campus more safe and responsive to allegations of sexual abuse. It states:"We, both current students and alumni of Hobart and William Smith Colleges, are horrified by the New York Times article exposing the administration's mismanagement of a campus sexual assault case, reflecting a broader issue that needs to be addressed.“While we appreciate President Gearan's swift response to the situation, his justification for the current policy is simply unacceptable. Significant changes must be made to ensure the safety and well-being of all current and future students."The petition comprised of the students' names, classes and call to action items can be found on the web at http://chn.ge/1sbSGRC.